Breadcrumb

You may think that artificial intelligence (AI) will make doctors obsolete soon&nbsp;but that day is still far off. In fact, computers are not that intelligent just yet.Most of the computer solutions emerging in healthcare rely on algorithms written to analyse data and recommend treatments. They do not rely on computers thinking independently.

A recent study has painted a worrying picture of women’s safety in ASEAN, placing Indonesia as the second most dangerous country for women in the Asia Pacific region after India, and the Philippines as the third most dangerous.According to Singapore-based research company ValueChampion, all of these countries were found to have subpar access to healthcare, lax laws regarding women's safety, poor access to family planning resources and overall inequality.&nbsp;“Despite government inte

Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will aim to strike a delicate balance in Monday’s budget: preaching fiscal prudence while doling out more social spending ahead of elections that could come as early as this year.While not expected to be as headline-grabbing as last year – when Heng flagged a hike in the goods-and-services tax (GST) – the 2019 budget will cover a range of familiar policy priorities.

Amidst recent calls to increase the marriageable age from 16 to 18, the government in Malaysia has expressed its plans to amend two laws. The announcement followed the march to Parliament involving activists, primary and secondary school students and member of the public to hand over of petition for the same objective.

In his recent best-selling book Factfulness, the late international health expert Hans Rosling shows that horrors such as natural disasters, oil spills, and battlefield deaths are trending steeply downward, and that harvest yields, literacy rates, and other development indicators are on the rise.

You may think that artificial intelligence (AI) will make doctors obsolete soon but that day is still far off. In fact, computers are not that intelligent just yet.Most of the computer solutions emerging in healthcare rely on algorithms written to analyse data and recommend treatments. They do not rely on computers thinking independently.

Southeast Asia may have a burgeoning youth (15-34 years) population that’s expected to peak at around 220 million in 2038, up from 213 million in 2017. However, the region’s demographic clock continues to tick as the existing population continues to age. A rapidly ageing population within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states will spur the demand for healthcare.

Healthcare costs in the region are forecasted to spike in the coming years, according to research carried out by Solidiance, an Asia-focused corporate strategy consulting firm. Titled “The US$320 billion healthcare challenge in ASEAN”, the study focuses on the healthcare economy of six major Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and The Philippines – dubbed the ASEAN 6.

Southeast Asians are becoming more aware of the need to address their health issues properly, but the underdeveloped state of Southeast Asia’s healthcare infrastructure, as well as resource shortages, still make these needs difficult to address effectively. In many cases, the cost of building new infrastructure to serve these needs is simply too much for national governments to bear all at once.

This year, the healthcare industry in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at 11.1%, according to a report by Frost &amp; Sullivan which makes it one of the fastest growing regions for healthcare in the world. On average, the global healthcare economy has an annual growth rate of 4.8%, the report added.This progressive growth is powered by a larger adoption of technology, innovative healthcare access programmes and delivery of care in and out of the hospital.